The human brain underpins a stunning range of mental activities but is also limited in a number of important ways, which lead to a range of biases in the way that we think, interact with the world around us, and how we deal with different challenges.

This workshop will help therapists to understand the impact of sex and porn addiction has on couple relationships and will provide a framework to use when talking with clients, individually and as a couple.

Diagnostic approaches applied in psychiatry are often criticized and deemed unsatisfactory because of their relative lack of reliability and validity. One reason for this complexity lies in the purely symptomatic approach to diagnosis. This approach also results in misdiagnosis, difficulties and high risk of aberrant therapeutic choices. The problem is also the source of great difficulty in differentiating the normal from the pathological in situations of emotional and psychological distress that should not be the subject of a psychiatric diagnosis.

As the world’s leading expert on Ibogaine administration, side effects, risk versus benefit and pharmacokinetics of all forms of Ibogaine, my presentation will begin with a brief history of Ibogaine. How Ibogaine has been used for hundreds of years in Africa as a sacrament by the Bwitti and other tribes in Gabon. How, when it was legal in the United States, it was serendipitously discovered by Howard Lotsoff to ameliorate Heroine and Methadone withdrawal in less than 24 hours.

The introduction of the concept of dual diagnosis, the co- occurrence of a substance use disorder and another psychiatric disorder, was revolutionary in the treatment of behavioural health patients. However, as we have developed deeper understanding of attachment, trauma, biology of the brain, family systems and other topics it is clear that to truly understand our patients we must see them through a multidimensional lens of the many experiences that have shaped who they have become and who they wish to be.

We are only as sick as our secrets! An oft-used recovery phrase; but what does it actually mean? Any sort of trauma or abuse experienced in childhood can lead to us keeping secrets. We believe that what happened to us was our fault and we keep it hidden away.

This presentation will explore the apparent relationship between dyslexia, drug dependence and offending. The intention of the original study was to verify various anecdotal sources which have suggested that the incidence of dyslexia is higher amongst drug users than the general population.

Functional, or medically unexplained, symptoms are some of the most complex and controversial problems presenting to clinicians. Overuse of opiates for pains which never get better, demands for operations which aren't necessary and long stays in hospital. How does a psychiatrist working on the frontline of the NHS steer treating teams and patients towards better outcomes?

Until recently nutrition and various other lifestyle factors were predominantly in the focus of medical disciplines like cardiology, endocrinology or gastroenterology. As mental disorders are multifactorial diseases and as such are complex, emerging evidence suggests that nutrition, exercise and sleep also play an important role in the aetiology, progression and treatment of mental disorders.

An investigation into the tradition of overcoming trauma and poverty by way of traditional fighting sports such as Boxing, Muay Thai & MMA. Boxing has always been a route out of poverty in western society, from Britain and Ireland, to America and Mexico

In the UK, the only widely recognised counselling credential is the generic accreditation offered by BACP. While excellent generic counselling skills are absolutely essential for all addictions practitioners, there is a strong argument that additional skills and knowledge are required to work effectively.

In this rapidly changing world, Lucy and Alex are scratching the surface and bringing entrepreneurial ideas to the addiction field. During this presentation they will discuss how the combination of therapeutic and coaching skills have proved successful in working with individuals both in one to one and in group dynamics.

This presentation will start off with an up-to-date description of the burnout syndrome and a range of data on its rising incidence will be presented, followed by a critical discussion on how a range of personality and work-related factors contribute to its pathophysiology.

This presentation explains the importance of developing a more integrated, collaborative and comprehensive approach to care advocacy for our recovering clients with criminal charges and other legal issues.

The combination presentation/workshop will examine the concepts of containment and holding environments and explore how they might apply to addiction treatment in terms of their implications for practice, service delivery and organisational development.

Recommended for professionals from both legal and BME health backgrounds as well as individuals interested in understanding the psychosocial complexities and the significance of emotion within political relationships as well as legal conflict at every level.

There is a high incidence of addiction and other mental health disorders amongst adoptees, with a disproportionate number presenting for treatment and recovery programs. As early separation is a relational trauma it manifests later in life as problems in relationships. The impact of trauma on functioning is both physical and psychological.

As more and more people grow up in significant wealth, understanding the complexities of providing expert treatment for this group is becoming more important. People from wealth are often confronted with a unique set of circumstances that impact upon their mental health: privilege, affluent neglect, affluenza, particular and often entrenched family dynamics, etc.

Health Music is the object of international evaluation for its application within the Mental Health field. This session is focused on providing tools and evaluative data to better understand the effects of Health Music on the recovery process.

This presentation will trace the history of Schema Therapy and its relevance in the treatment of addiction. Early Maladaptive Schemas often spring from emotional needs that were not met during childhood or adolescence.

During this presentation participants will gain a deeper understanding into how our brain and body process stress and anxiety. They will learn about the fight, flight or freeze response and how they can spot when they themselves or somebody in their workplace reacts in one of those behavioural modes.

During this presentation participants will gain a deeper understanding into how our brain and body process stress and anxiety. They will learn about the fight, flight or freeze response and how they c ...

In this presentation, Dr. Paul Hokemeyer, an internationally renowned expert on elite identity constructs, will explore how fashion serves to amplify the class divisions that lead to a betrayal of self and an amplification of individual pathologies.

Many of the wounds people sustain in developmental trauma occur when the right brain is developing, which is tied to the autonomic nervous system and the polyvagal nervous system. While talk therapy can be helpful in recovery from trauma and addiction, many of the therapies we employ as practitioners can be improved upon by using techniques that access the right side of the brain, where the original traumas occurred.

This interactive talk considers the role of the clinical expert in Family Law both for the legal professional and the client, the practicalities and procedure governing the selection of the clinical expert in private children proceedings and the role of the clinical expert in those proceedings.

Parenting and relationship expert Mandy Saligari will join Zoe Blaskey, founder of Motherkind in a live podcast discussion. In exploring their shared love for helping parents to face their own past and pain, they will discuss why parental self-esteem plays a primordial role in the early prevention of addiction

In this presentation, Professor Spada will outline the metacognitive approach to the conceptualisation and treatment of problem drinking. The presentation will be highlighting the role played by metacognitive beliefs, extended thinking and thought suppression in the development and escalation of problem drinking. Professor Spada will also review the type of interventions used in Metacognitive Therapy for the treatment of problem drinking and their efficacy.

Many of the wounds people sustain in developmental trauma occur when the right brain is developing, which is tied to the autonomic nervous system and the polyvagal nervous system. While talk therapy can be helpful in recovery from trauma and addiction, many of the therapies we employ as practitioners can be improved upon by using techniques that access the right side of the brain, where the original traumas occurred.

The term peer pressure usually conjures an image of a bully teasing someone until they do something, they know is wrong, but positive peer pressure can also be an effective weapon is the arsenal of drug prevention programs. Every teacher knows that the natural leaders in a classroom, sport or club can make or break the activity, and for those that don’t trust their own instincts or experience, there is a plethora of research that shows that peer pressure can positively or negatively impact teenagers’ behaviour.

Debilitating and complex, shame is among the most destructive of human emotions. Depression, violence and anxiety emerges in a variety of ways that are profoundly damaging to the lives of the people we work with and the lives of those around them.

In this presentation, Professor Spada will outline the metacognitive approach to the conceptualisation and treatment of problem drinking. The presentation will be highlighting the role played by metacognitive beliefs, extended thinking and thought suppression in the development and escalation of problem drinking. Professor Spada will also review the type of interventions used in Metacognitive Therapy for the treatment of problem drinking and their efficacy.

In this presentation Chip will talk about the parlous state of rehab. How it is possible that we have gotten to the point where we have all these rehabs but you can only really get in to them if you have money? How have we let local councils take over the medical care of addicts and alcoholics? How have we tolerated a system so clearly broken to continue?

Remember the summer of 2018? England reached the semi-finals of the FIFA world cup and suddenly the nation was transfixed with the exploits of Gareth Southgate’s team. In front of huge TV screens, st ...

What does the future hold for abstinence-based recovery? There is new wave of medication on the horizon to treat addiction which includes the psychedelics: ketamine, MDMA & psilocybin. Currently in the UK there are mainstream clinical trials in which alcoholics are treated with MDMA. In 2021 this will be a licensed treatment and may be much more widely available option.

The mental health system is currently seeing a flood of individuals who are seeking treatment and support in the aftermath of primary relationships with persons with narcissistic and psychopathic disorders. Victims often describe subjective states of going crazy, being a shell of their former selves, profound helplessness, emotional numbing, and an inability to recover a sense of agency or initiative to rebuild their lives.

In this presentation, participants will learn the impact of addiction on an organisation and the implications for senior executives to develop a comprehensive Alcohol and Drug policy and Management Programme within a corporate setting.

Beverley will immerse participants of this workshop in the value of experiential techniques in individual, group and family work and will demonstrate a variety of these techniques with participating professionals. Techniques will include: family sculpting, empty chair work, mindfulness, meditation, work with symbols and sociometry.

We live in an age where complex grief is woven into the tapestry of our lives. Many people are struggling to cope in the aftermath of the shocking and brutal loss of someone they love. In our world today, people are grieving the death of a child or other loved one through violence, accident or unpredicted illness.

“Conscious Connected Breathing is like voyaging into the realm of being beyond words. Dancing and flowing with the self, feeling the universe’s heart beating in harmony with the voice of the soul, while listening to spirit’s song.

Powerful recognition that life itself is a gift of different sounds and rhythms, some of them so simply sweet, though others are more complicated to accept.

As we keep breathing, thinking and acting in this conscious connected way, we will reach the most precious gift of all, the acceptance of what is”.

In recent years there has been tremendous controversy about sexually compulsive behaviour. Researchers and clinicians alike have argued about the best terminology to use, diagnostic criteria, and treatment approaches. In this presentation, Dr. Carnes discusses the concerns about labelling out control sexual behaviour and examines the new research and the controversy surrounding the diagnosis. Different perspectives on conceptualisation of the disorder and treatment will be discussed.

Recommended for both professionals and individuals, this presentation will explore how our digitally-based devices and behaviours have and will perpetually continue to affect, effect, and alter our lives, lifestyles, and careers.

Where does the biochemical meet the psychological? Can we resolve addiction by dealing with its underlying root causes? How do our hormones impact on our state of mind? Why is homeostasis crucial for brain health? What is “orthorexia” and how might we deal with it?

“Conscious Connected Breathing is like voyaging into the realm of being beyond words. Dancing and flowing with the self, feeling the universe’s heart beating in harmony with the voice of the soul, while listening to spirit’s song.

Powerful recognition that life itself is a gift of different sounds and rhythms, some of them so simply sweet, though others are more complicated to accept.

As we keep breathing, thinking and acting in this conscious connected way, we will reach the most precious gift of all, the acceptance of what is”.

Research in neurobiology has made clear that our emotions are experienced and processed by the body as well as the mind and that healing from the kind of trauma that living with addiction engenders requires a mind/body approach. Psychodrama and sociometry allow the body to participate in the therapeutic milieu.

Personalised medicine is considered the next frontier of health care. The role of genetic testing in psychiatry and in addictions medicine, however, has been recently critically reviewed. Are genetic tests helpful in assessing and managing these conditions?

Are faith and consciousness the lights to shine on the hidden inner forces of endarkenment…. the nasty, self-destructive cycles of confusion, self-doubt and self-hatred created and maintained by the ego?

Complex Trauma in Women with Compulsive and Addictive Sexual Behaviour Often compulsive and addictive behaviour is thought of as a male problem, however, more and more women are coming forward struggling with the behaviour.

This is the chance for you to bring any questions you have for people who've built successful therapy practices. Our Q&A session will cover questions we're always asked at Private Practice Hub but we're going to open the floor up to you too, so bring some questions along to our session, Ask the Expert.

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has seemed at the forefront of many news items recently and increasingly out there in the public domain. The statistics quoted in the UK are 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men are survivors, higher in other countries such as the USA. Indeed, most of our addiction clients tend to present with underlying trauma, many as a result of CSA. So as clinicians and treatment providers how do we deal with this epidemic in terms of numbers and the resultant increased disclosures and presentations?